By BRAD DICKERSON
GLASGOW — A local business owner was selected to take part in national initiatives working to improve self-employment services for those with disabilities.
Kevin Webb, of Webb-Taylor Stables on Barbour Road, will travel to Atlanta in February to take part in a beneficiary summit, which is hosted by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel.
He will also be a member of the Entrepreneur Leadership Network, a group that works with the Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) Self-Employment Technical Assis-tance, Resources and Training Center.
Grant money of almost $1.5 million was given to VCU, who will partner with Griffin-Hammis Associates LLC, to establish the National Self-Employment Technical Assistance and Research Initiative.
The monies were part of nearly $5 million the Labor Department awarded to advance self-employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, according to a press release.
Webb, who suffers from intellectual disabilities, operates the stables with assistance from his stepfather and mother, Ronnie and Glenna Taylor. Just a few of his duties include hauling hay, feeding horses and cleaning stalls.
Webb’s mother, Glenna, explained how he became involved with the two different programs, starting with the February summit.
“There was an e-mail sent out for participants to apply, to be involved in working in a beneficiary summit meeting in February,” she said. “We applied and out of over 300 applications, 55 were chosen and Kevin was one of them.
“He will be the only one representing Kentucky.”
Taylor also credited David Hammis, of Griffin-Hammis Associates LLC, with helping to get her son involved with the grant project.
“David Hammis, who trains Social Security people on what the system’s like and how to work in it, he came here and worked on Kevin’s business, so he already knew what was going on with Kevin and how he got started,” she said.
Taylor will travel with Webb to Atlanta for the February summit as his “support person.” Regarding the VCU grant project, she stated that it will start after the first of the year.
“It’s really an honor,” Taylor said about being included in the initiatives. “If you look at the statistics of how many people have a disability and to know that we have been chosen to work on that $5 million grant and also to go to Atlanta and put in recommendations that are going to be presented to the president and Congress and the Social Security administration, it’s pretty amazing.”
